The Romanian community in Minnesota create an association to help preserve cultural identity

There is a significant Romanian community in the US. Reportedly there are around 518,000 Americans who state that they have Romanian ancestry. The immigration of Romanians in the US started in the 19th century and most of them migrated to large cities such as Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit. Most of them came from the area of Transylvania, Banat, and Crisana.

Some of them formed cultural associations, such as HORA. This association was created in order to preserve the history and culture of the Romanian-American community.

According to MinnPost, a Minneapolis newspaper, HORA has also created documentaries that show the life experiences of Romanian immigrants. The association created a documentary called A Thousand Dollars and Back which tells the story of the first wave of Romanian immigrants who moved to Minnesota in the 1900s’. According to the documentary, the first Romanians that came to the US had only one plan- to make 1,000 dollars and then go back home. However, some of them changed their plans and remained in the US.

These have established in St. Paul and also South St. Paul. The association has also created another documentary called “Through the Iron Curtain- From Romania” which shows the journey of Romanian immigrants who ran from Romania during the communist years.

The Romanian community in Minnesota also established two churches- St. Mary’s Romanian Orthodox church of St. Paul and St. Stefan’s Romanian Orthodox of South St. Paul. These two churches brought people together and had been a social hub for many. later on, the community has created the HORA association which promotes Romanian history and culture. The association often organizes history classes and Romanian language classes organize social events and awards Romanian students scholarships.